4A1030 PROLOGUE: Nalda ACT I: To Midnight ACT II: Wanted Starring: Lionel the Merchant Ramon Q. Silver, Tawa Hamlutts, and Uda Rosa Ell meet in Tak's Bar in Nalda, where they had heard of a well-paying job offer. A robed and hooded figure reveals he would like them to secure a heavily guarded package that was to be in transit between HÎma and Althil. Upon agreeing to the job, they are informed that they should make their way to the Brazen Bridge within the Midnight Forest in three weeks time. As a bonding experience, the trio decide to take a trip on Lake Tîr, guided on a boat by an Orc. Upon landing on the island at the centre of the lake, they discover a cave. Though wary of their situation, Tawa and Uda come across a Stoneman and his dying son, whilst Ramon heads back to the Orc to ask if there are any dangers in the cave. After learning that, a couple years ago, a couple had been terrified by the sight of the threat within the cave, he rushes back to warn the others, but finds Tawa already in dialogue with the infected creature. Through a series of increasingly tenuous lies, Tawa almost manages to convince the Stoneman he is there to cure his son, but the Stoneman eventually sees through the deception and becomes angered. A fight ensues, where despite Tawa and Ramon's best attempts to persuade him otherwise, Uda's bloodlust takes over and he kills the Stoneman. Ramon goes back to save the child, and gets lost in the cave. Upon finding his way out, the three head back to Nalda with the child, but he dies in Ramon's arms as they make their way to the local Doctor. The three head back to Tak's Tavern to reflect on the day's tragic events. Tawa Hamlutts and Uda Rosa Ell awaken in Tak's Bar, the latter passed out having spent the entire night drink his memories away. Buzze Horndim walks into the bar and introduces himself briefly, before the trio are interrupted by commotion coming from outside. Exiting the bar, they see an Erwa and an Orc beating up a man who turns out to be Sheriff Matai. Uda and Buzze step in to try stop the fight, with Uda dragging Matai out of danger whilst Buzze almost knocks the other orc out in one swing. In the midst of the fight, Tawa also pickpockets a man who later turns out to be Blacksmith Kerson. Uda follows Matai back towards his lodge with Tawa tagging along. The sheriff thanks them for their help, complaining about the lack of money from Althil and the Ire addiction rife within his ranks. He points out a bounty on his board for the capture of the Vigilante of Nalda. Meanwhile, Buzze heads to the local shrine and finds an Erwa by the name of Jaakko stealing offerings from the shrine to eat. After chastising him, he sends the Erwa on his way as Tawa and Uda arrive. The three head back to Tak's Bar to talk to the barkeep, who tells them how he had been robbed a couple of weeks ago before the vigilante had brought the robbers to justice and returned his money (anonymously). He suggests trying the local dock workers, who apparently had seen the vigilante in person. Whilst Uda stays in the bar to try recover from his wounds, Tawa and Buzze head to the blacksmith, where Kerson and his daughter are arguing over them money that Tawa had stolen from them earlier. Buzze offers to help, giving them a little extra money in return for an upgrade to his weapon. Tawa also purchases an upgrade to his weapon before the two head towards the docks. Ramon meets Staek Bakeob, who is new in town, in Tak's Bar, where he is shortly joined by Tawa and Uda. The two attempt to recruit Ramon and Staek into their hunt for the vigilante, and while Staek agrees, Ramon turns down the offer. Tawa, Uda, and Staek head to the North Docks where they encounter a group of Erwaen loading a boat. Uda attempts to socialise with them whilst Tawa and Staek head into the office of Nîbel, the Dock Manager. When it becomes apparent that Nibel has a distinct distaste for Orc-kind, Tawa pretends Staek is his servant and sends him out with a pot. He then attempts to recruit Nibel into his pot scheme but narrowly fails (although wins favour with the prickly manager). Nibel also describes his encounter with the vigilante. Meanwhile, with the help of some alcohol Uda fraternises with the Erwaen and learns Jaakko's account of the Vigilante, as well as some new rumours about the Althilian Plot from Zigar, another Erwa. Upon comparing observations, the trio quickly realise that the two accounts of the vigilante don't seem to add up. Meanwhile, Ramon gets a tip from Tak about unexplained occurrences in the stables and decides to investigate. He finds a trapdoor that leads to an underground room, where he encounters and awakens Blacksmith Kerson, Doctor Igur, and a merchant from the marketplace. When they attempt to dodge his questioning, he sends his fox to tail them whilst he heads back to Tak's Tavern. When the fox returns, she leads Ramon first to the blacksmith (where he overhears Robert talking to his daughter, Anna), and then onto the market where the merchant works. There, he is reunited with Tawa, Uda, and Staek. After filling each other in on their respective findings, Tawa, Uda, and Staek decide to head to the blacksmith's whilst Ramon continues following his fox. Tawa collects his upgraded weapon from the blacksmith, narrowly escaping recognition as the pickpocket. Uda and Staek enter the shop hoping to learn more about the hooded figure that had summoned Uda to the town. When they fail to convince the blacksmith to divulge his knowledge, Uda challenges him to a drinking contest but fails miserably. Staek attempts to seduce Anna but similarly fails, and the two are forced to beat a hasty retreat. The fox leads Ramon to the Doctor's house, but it is locked. Instead, he heads to Sheriff Matai's lodge, where he learns more about the vigilante, the hooded figure, the Althilian Plot, and what happened to Nalda's last mayor. He decides to head back to the stables to check on them again. Ramon is dragged into the basement of the Stables by two armed Orcs, where he is questioned by Doctor Igur. The doctor warns him to leave Nalda today if he values his life. On his way back to Tak's Tavern, Ramon bumps into Uda, who was returning from the beach after burning all her clothes (attracting the attention of Deputies Reggie and Rover). Meanwhile, Buzze runs into Jesús Polo Sánchez (better known as Beans) outside the blacksmith's. As they walk towards the market they spot Tawa, who is observing the merchant that Ramon had caught in the stables earlier in the day. After packing up his wares, the merchant heads out of the market with Tawa tailing behind him. He successfully follows the merchant to Nibel's office by the North Docks, where Beans volunteers to go inside to investigate. Entering the small office, Beans is immediately assaulted by the merchant, who was lying in wait with a cast iron pot. Beans begins to wet himself whilst Buzze breaks in to rescue him. The orc knocks out Nibel and threatens the merchant into compliance. Tawa, Buzze, and Beans decide to take the merchant back to Tak's Tavern for questioning, whilst hoping to also attract the attention of the vigilante by dragging Nibel and the merchant through the streets. With Ramon and Uda watching the window of Ramon's room, the trio's plan is successful and the vigilante intercepts them in the small square outside Tak's Tavern. After a brief verbal confrontation, Buzze first throws Nibel to the ground (mortally wounding him), and then the merchant (who has attracted the attention of most of the town with his cries). Whilst Beans rushes over to pickpocket the merchant and dying dock manager, Buzze releases his bees into the square, causing minor havoc. In the chaos, Beans pickpockets the extremely wounded merchant before heading into the Tavern, where he picks up a bottle of Kebrean wine and heads upstairs. He invites himself into Ramon's room but Ramon quickly kicks him out again. Uda jumps down from the first-floor window of the tavern, minorly injuring himself, before charging at the vigilante with a rope in an effort to restrain them. The vigilante dodges, but then is faced with a berserker Buzze. Although they manage to land a strong hit, Buzze bests the vigilante and knocks them out, revealing the vigilante to be Anna Kerson. Sheriff Matai attempts to place them all under arrest, but Buzze incites the crowd into a frenzy with a revolutionary speech. A general revolt spreads across Nalda as the masses rise up. Blacksmith Kerson runs over to protect his unconscious daughter from the swarming masses. When Tawa runs over with Buzze, he recognises the former as the person who pickpocketed him earlier in the week. Buzze convinces him to take his daughter to the Sheriff's Lodge, as he holds off the crowds. Meanwhile, Sheriff Matai is cornered by some of his deputies, who have consumed a large amount of Ire and begin attacking him. Uda rushes over to help, and calls up to Ramon to fetch some water from Tak's Tavern. Uda also attempts to enter the tavern but Tak angrily shouts for him to leave, having seen what occurred outside his establishment. Ramon and Beans grab a large amount of water and rush over to where Reggie and Rover are attacking Matai, and pour water all over Rover. This causes the orc to temporarily snap out of his Ire rage, long enough for Uda to attempt to pin him down. When this is unsuccessful, she instead starts punching the orc into the ground, his bloodlust almost completely taking over until Ramon stops her by threatening to loose an arrow at her. They convince Matai to accompany them to the Lodge, promising to let the Sheriff arrest them once they arrive. The two groups make their way to outside the Lodge, where they have a narrow run-in with a couple of the town guard, but Matai convinces the guards to move on. However, as they near the door the Sheriff becomes suspicious of the group's true intentions and calls for the guards to help. By this point, however, it is too late and Uda pulls the Sheriff in with her rope. Meanwhile, Anna awakens and whispers to her father, who is carrying her, to get her away from the group. Robert begins to make a run for it, so Tawa and Beans give chase. In the Lodge, Uda barricades the door whilst Buzze ties Matai up and Ramon guards from the window, firing an arrow into the leg of an archer outside. Buzze shatters one of Matai's ankles and orders him to call the guards off on the threat of him befalling a worse fate. Matai reluctantly agrees and convinces the guards to call off their impending attack on the Lodge. Buzze heads to the cells, where a prisoner offers him a drink from his flask. The drink turns out to be fortified Ire, causing the orc to lose control of his senses and to go on a rampage around town. Meanwhile, Ramon heads upstairs to Matai's living quarters, where he finds an old knife and his diary, which reveals that the Sheriff had been paid off by the Naldan Ire Ring to remain silent on the matter. The Sheriff admits to his wrongdoing when Ramon confronts him. Uda and Ramon also learn that the previous mayor was an Ire addict and had died from Ire's disease. It is also revealed that the Ire Ring had been intentionally preventing a new mayor from being elected, and that they were using the Mayor's Lodge as a storage facility for their Ire production, which the Sheriff suspected was being transported from the stables via an old secret tunnel. Tawa and Beans catch up with Blacksmith Kerson, and confront him about the shady dealings they've noticed around Nalda. The blacksmith admits to being part of the Ire Ring, where he produces the tools required for Doctor Igur to manufacture the Ire which the merchant flogs via the docks. The blacksmith attempts to escape from Nalda via the docks but Tawa convinces him that it is too dangerous and the crowd would recognise Anna as the vigilante. Instead, he convinces Anna to use her role as the Vigilante to unite the crowds, stem the violence, and free the trio trapped in the Lodge. Although her father is strongly opposed to the idea, Anna agrees. The four head over towards the Blacksmith's Forge to retrieve Anna's weapon, as well as collect some new gear. Anna manages to convince the crowd to stop their fighting, and they march towards the Lodge. Ramon and Uda convince the Sheriff to let them out of the Lodge whilst taking him with them to prevent the town guard from interfering. They suggest he consider turning a new leaf, and even consider running for Mayor. The three run into Tawa, Beans, Anna and Robert at the head of a revolting crowd, and the group march towards the Mayor's Lodge. As they near the building, Doctor Igur fires an arrow from the first floor, killing Blacksmith Kerson. Distraught, Anna runs into the building, overpowering the security inside before attacking the Doctor. Uda convinces her to stop before she kills him. The group hatch a plan: they gag a fish to the mouth of the Doctor and dangle him from the window, before dragging him (bound and gagged) along the rooftops towards the Sheriff's Lodge, where they throw him in jail. This starts the tradition of the Festival of Rebirth in Nalda. Meanwhile, Tawa decides to investigate the Mayor's Lodge further in an attempt to locate where the Ire is being stored. However, when he finds the secret tunnel in the basement, all the Ire has already been transported away... After sleeping in the Sheriff's Lodge for the night, Uda, Ramon and Tawa awaken to find that Matai has already left. The Sheriff has left them a note telling them to come to the town hall as soon as possible. Walking through the empty streets, the trio observe the aftermath from the destructive night of revolution. Arriving at the town hall, the three watch as Matai confesses to his crimes, and declares his intention to offer his candidacy for mayor, with Anna running to serve as the new Sheriff. After a lengthy period of debate, the town votes in majority to elect both to their new offices. Anna declares her first act as Sheriff is to exile Uda, Ramon, Tawa, Beans and Buzze from Nalda on account of their antics (which have, in the past few days, included assault, theft, near-murder, intimidation of the local population, and bringing a diseased creature into the town). The Town Guard escorts the group into the Sheriff's Lodge to collect their belongings. There, Tawa attempts to paint "Fuck you Anna" on the desk before a junior member of the Guard stops him. He then attempts to sell the guard a pot, but in demonstrating the supposed durability of his helmet pot manages to shatter it on the ground. Receiving a tip on where Buzze may have gone after consuming the fortified Ire, the group exits to the east of Nalda, where they encounter an entrepreneurial real-estate developer Orc by the name of Ular. The group continues heading east into the desert after Ular tips them off on where he had last seen Buzze. Meanwhile, Buzze awakens in the middle of the desert following his night of Ire-induced rage (memories of which are scarce). Seeing a decapitated desert cat nearby, he grabs its head before heading in the direction of smoke on the horizon, which he guesses is from the revolution in Nalda the night prior. Joining the main southern road, he encounters a small trading caravan, and chats to Elese, an elderly woman who runs the trading caravan. When they reach the south gate of Nalda, the town guard informs Buzze of his newly imposed exile, but, refusing to leave, Buzze uses Elese as a human shield whilst the town guard launches a volley of arrows at him. Making a hasty retreat, Buzze kidnaps a young child by the name of Joni as he runs away. Eventually, Buzze reunites with the rest of the group, who express their unhappiness at Buzze's latest crime. Unwilling to start a fight with the imposing Orc, the group decides to move on for the time being. Along the road, the group encounter a farmer from the Sioferan Farmlands who is selling various produce on the side of the road. However, the various fruits and vegetables on display are among the most grotesque and malformed they have ever seen. Although they ask him about his farmland and news from Althil, they decide not to buy any fruit (although Tawa does attempt to convince the farmer to take Joni). A little further on, the group also run into a man in poorly-fitting armour who calls himself Tarly, Knight of the Noble Lands. Tarly challenges the various members of the group to a duel, although his helmet obscures who exactly he can see. Eventually, Buzze agrees to fight him, but after sustaining only a single minor hit Tarly crumples to ground, dead. Tawa also pickpockets a meagre amount of coin from the supposed knight. With night falling, the group come across Greenor, a small Erwaen village. Uda convinces an elderly female Erwa to let him sleep in her house, whilst the rest of the group sleep outside. Chatting to the woman, Uda convinces her to gift him some alcohol after he runs out. The next morning, Uda, Ramon, and Tawa explore the village and soon find the village well, which is overrun with water snakes. After some deliberation, Tawa volunteers to be lowered into the well, where he digs around and eventually releases a blockage, causing a huge number of snakes to suddenly flood the well, before moving beyond and into the desert. Uda struggles with a panic attack at the onset of a huge number of water creatures now covering the village. The villagers give the group a small cash reward for their help. The group arrive at the luxurious Inn at the Crossroads. Exploring the area, they come across a Shrine to the Eternal Flame. Ramon is sceptical of their worship of the Lord of the Eternal Flame, but Uda decides to initiate as a follower. The group head to the outdoor stage, where they watch The Flying Company perform their bedazzling show of acrobatics. However, during the show, the group is pickpocketed. Trying to prevent the audience from leaving, Uda and Tawa attempt to convince Ramon to perform some his poetry, but Ramon backs out leaving Uda on stage. Attempting to beat a hasty retreat, Uda falls over and lands face-flat on the ground. Heading backstage, Uda meets Clara, a member of the Flying Company, who invites him to have a drink with her at the bar that evening. On their way back to the Inn, the group come across an elderly woman called Jana, who claims to read fortunes, and her granddaughter, Hira. Thought unable to afford her services, Jana delivers a series of cryptic messages, including: "Find my eye, and I shall give you what you seek", "Beware the birds: magnificent when they soar, dangerous when they dive", and "They dive tonight". Back at the Inn, the group talk to Migar, the general manager, who is concerned about a potential robbery of the private quarters rumoured to be taking place tonight. Suspecting a link between the various events, the group decides to investigate further. Tawa heads towards the private quarters of the Inn, where he soon discovers a disused service tunnel that appears to lead to a dead end. However, using a water snake he finds that the walled-up end of the tunnel in fact connects to another room, which he discovers to be the bedroom of some woman with whom he has a brief conversation. Uda heads to the bar to meet Clara and the other members of the Flying Circus. However, he soon begins to suspect that they are trying to get him blind drunk, so in an attempt to divert attention away from him, he proposes a drinking game. This goes badly, however, and eventually he is forced to attempt a more obvious escape. This culminates in a minor fight with Redfane (one of the acrobats), before Migar breaks them up. Buzze walks towards the desert in the hopes of catching anyone attempting to enter the private quarter from the outside. Although he sees no assailants, he befriends the Orc guarding the backstage area, whom he convinces to allow him inside. There, he encounters two Erwaen, who are immediately suspicious of him. Before long, the two Erwaen flee suddenly, leaving Buzze alone in the backstage area. The Erwaen run over to the lobby, where they encounter the rest of the Flying Company, and hushedly warn them of Buzze. As the acrobats run off back to the stage, the group come to the realisation that 'the birds' in Jana's warning could very well be the Flying Company. Reuniting with Buzze, the group piece together the Flying Company's heist and go to warn various parties (including Migar, the mysterious woman behind the wall, Jana, and some Inn guards). Leading Jana and Hira over to the backstage area, the group identify a mystically protected box in the corner that likely holds bounties of previous heists. In pursuit of the acrobats, Ramon's fox leads them to an open window on the private side, which Tawa climbs up to. However, entering the private side, he is caught by guards and apprehended, leaving Ramon and Buzze stranded on the outside. Back in the stage area, Jana suddenly whispers to Uda: "You fail. They escape." With Jana grasping his hand, Uda experiences a joint vision. He is transported to Nalda, where he watches as Anna Kerson pursues three members of the Naldan Ire Ring across the rooftops. Suddenly, however, she is ambushed the mysterious hooded figure, who assaults her with an Artifact. Although putting up significant resistance, she is eventually overpowered and stabbed in the lower abdomen, before being thrown off the roof. Through the vision, Uda manages to catch a glimpse the hooded figure, noticing he is a Human with a horrific burn scarring half his face. Tawa is apprehended in the dining room of the Private Quarters, but Migar soon clears his name. Tawa also meets the owner of the Inn, Zemis, and is at long last introduced face-to-face with his daughter Sara. He hears commotion outside, and informs the guards of all he knows about the Flying Company's plot. Later, one of the Erwa (Flist) breaks into the room and attempts to steal various valuable items (including Tawa's silver spoon), knocking over Sara in the process, but Tawa manages to stop him with the help of one of the guards. Ramon pursues several members of the Flying Company through the hallways of the Private Quarters, before being ambushed by Redfane. Ramon manages to overpower his adversary, forcing him to divulge that the others are retreating back to the stage area. He leaves the Highborn to be handled by the guards. Uda hears the three remaining members of the Flying Company approaching, and decides to barricade the door the backstage, with the help of Hira. Laying in wait, he allows one of the assailants inside before slamming the door shut again, allowing Hira to restrain Miz (who had broken through). With Clara and Sasha attempting to break down Uda's barricade, Ramon hatches a plan with the Orc guard Grizz. He looses an arrow, which pierces Sasha's thigh. Grizz attempts to distract the duo from the other side of the dune, whilst Ramon sends Tawa to get more guards. Clara eventually manages to break through the door, but she is shot by Ramon whilst attempting to help Sasha to cover. The two have a hushed and urgent dispute before detonating a smoke bomb, just in time to escape before Tawa arrives with reinforcements to arrest them. As a reward for their help in recovering her eye, Jana gives the group the Eye of Seriph to use "in the coming battle", and offers to read one of their fortunes. Ramon volunteers: "It begins to rain. The fireplace crackles. A searing flash of lightning fills the window, illuminating the sky. A silhouette falls from the clouds. Water begins to fill the room as a bloated corpse floats by. The rain turns viscous red. The cries of men and the clash of steel. The smiling sun shines overhead, speckled with blood, sneering over the trees. A solitary rose sprouts from the ground. The petals, pure and white, gleam faintly at first. “Blood of my blood”, rings a feminine voice. You are falling. The light grows brighter. Five thorns sprout from the rose before the white light fills your vision. Brightness morphs into an icy landscape. The rain turns to hail, tearing at your face, as the ground splits open and all is engulfed by flame. Suddenly, nothing."
Characters: Location:
Grove Compound Synopsis:
* The newly acquired Eye of Seriph transports the group back into the Third Age, where they stumble upon the Grove Compound whilst seeking shelter from a torrential storm. When the sickly heir to the compound, Blundell Barnet, is found debt along the riverbank the next morning, the gang decides to investigate the mystery, but finds everyone at the compound seems to have something to hide... Regaining their senses after their brief stint in the Third Age, the group continue their travels until, one day, Ramon looks up to see a woman fall from the skies and land in the sand in front of them. After some initial confusion, she introduces herself as Ami, a woman capable of jumping forwards in time. She explains that she is searching for something very important to her, but due to temporary amnesia caused by the Jump, is unable to recall her purpose for the time being. She offers to accompany them on their travels, at least in the meantime. Whilst travelling towards the Glades, the group encounter a group of professional hunters, who explain they are tracking down a dangerous Gilded Serpent, capable of causing powerful hallucinations to trick victims into letting it slowly kill them. Later, the gang comes across a small child staring wistfully into the shallow canyon of a dried-up riverbed. He explains that he's lost his pet rabbit in the canyon, and asks the group to help him, in return for gold. Climbing down, it does not take long for Ramon & Uda to realise something is amiss. Upon finding a heavily wounded farmer (who the child had earlier sent down to search for his rabbit), the group is thrown into confusion as they begin to hallucinate. Eventually, they figure out where the serpent is and slice it in two, killing it. Arriving in Glades, the gang decides to take a brief rest-stop to enjoy all the prosperous community had to offer. Uda decides to join the annual Egg Hunt (with a bemused Ami tagging along), before quickly realising that the hunt is, in fact, largely intended for small children. Undeterred, he throws himself in the competition, only to be bested by an 8-year old. He plays it off as intentional. The gang also run into a woman in the local tavern, the Oaken Foot, who introduces herself as Zari. She takes a keen interest in where they're headed, and how the group is getting along. Tawa, meanwhile, is convinced something nefarious is happening with this town, proclaiming its prosperity to be suspicious. He tries to interview Tomasz Crowle, the son of the Mayor, but doesn't succeed in discovering much. Unfortunately, his investigation is cut short as the group has to depart if they are to reach the Midnight Forest in time, but he pledges to return to complete his detective work. Finally, after several weeks of travel, the group arrives at the Brazen Bridge in the Midnight Forest. They make their final preparations, including cluing Ami into the plan - she says she cannot be party to grand robbery, but will respectfully observe from the sidelines and ensure that serious harm does not befall them. On time, a convoy of Golden Guard from Althil round the corner and turn onto the bridge. Tawa and Uda await them, playing the parts of two travellers seriously injured by the Gilded Serpent. They manage to convince the convoy to stop long enough for Ramon to sneak aboard from behind, where he encounters the 'package', which turns out to be a prisoner. Noticing something is amiss with his restraints, the prisoner drops his guise and leaps from the back of the carriage and begins fleeing. At the same time, a flaming arrow suddenly flies in from far in the treeline, piecing the torso of the Commander, who falls to the ground. Screaming ambush, Tawa and Uda begin to flee for cover amongst the trees, whilst Buzze bursts into action to cover them. Buzze manages to overpower one of the guards, but the other two run to arrest Tawa and Uda, who are trapped by the constant arrow fire coming from within the forest. Meanwhile, Ramon gives chase to the escaping prisoner, with the fourth guard hot on his heels. During the pursuit, however, he hears a thud from behind his and the guard's footsteps cease. In front of him, the fleeing figure slows down. Ramon, unfortunately, is too distracted by the man in front to hear the sounds of another approaching from behind, and soon finds himself with a knife pressed to his throat. As he feels restraints coming round his wrists and ankles, he hears a voice that he recalls as one he conversed to in the Oaken Foot only a few days earlier:
"I'm very sorry it has to be this way, Ramon. I expect this shall not be the last time we see each other. I hope our next meeting is under better circumstances, blood of my blood". Buzze has just overpowered one of the guards, and begins to move to help his entrapped companions, when another flaming arrow flies out from amongst the trees, lands squarely in his shoulderpad, and sends him spinning off the edge of the bridge, into the Veria River below. Tawa attempts an extremely ambitious maneuvre to leap past the guard who is attempting to arrest him, but falls just short of his target. The guard tackles him to the ground and pins him in place, just in time for very inconveniently-timed reinforcement Guards from Althil to arrive. Although he does not resist arrest, he first pretends to be a guard in disguise (which goes badly), and then instead tries to tell the truth. This at least gets him into cover, and escorted to safety. Meanwhile, Uda - panicking at the sight of even more guards - starts to flee into the woods, in the hopes of tracking down the unknown archer. Although he is shot, he gets close enough to almost land a hit with his knife, which he throws at the figure in the tree while they are making their escape. Tawa and Uda are put in restraints, and placed in the prisoner carriage, to be transported to Althil. Further down the road, Ramon (with the help of Tamsey) wriggles free of his restraints just in time for Ami to arrive. She fills him in on what happened with the ambush, of Buzze's fall and of Tawa and Uda's arrest. The pair decide to remain hidden, and make their own way to Althil. Buzze awakens on the riverbank downstream of the bridge, where Johnny had been attempting to resuscitate him. He catches a ride with a couple of nearby fishermen, and takes a ferry from Shurse to Althil. Tawa and Uda are thrown into Althil Prison, where they spend several days without outside contact, until one day they are ushered into a discrete meeting with a man who reveals himself to be Lord High Commander Oren Marelius, previously thought killed during the ambush in the Midnight Forest. He explains how he suspects the Order of the Phantom Rose had made an attempt on his life after he began to grow suspicious. He explains that he cannot reveal himself lest the Order realises they failed in their assassination, but offers to break them out of prison if they help him take down the Order. Under the cover of darkness, Tawa and Uda are illicitly escorted out of the prison, where they are given further instructions from Oren. They head to Tik's Bar to mull over the information, where they encounter Ramon and Ami, who themselves had just arrived in Althil. The reunited group learn that Oren has deduced a list of five potential suspects associated with the Order: an Orc known as Bruiser, who leads an underword criminal organisation known as The Fang; a ingenius but demented inventor known as Zendûrun; the traitor Golden Guard who had killed King Aman and had escaped from thr prisoner convoy, called Izônal; an unknown female marked as "Z?"; and their extremely elusive leader, Bâzarân. The next morning, the group head to Tiergith's Place, a huge open-plan market square, where they are reunited with Buzze. A Didier Dubot novel catches the attention of Ramon whilst he is browsing a bookstore, and he learns a little more about the mysterious Zendûrun, who is famous amongst the merchants for his unusual persona and ingenious inventions. Uda stumbles across and befriends a salesman who is entertaining a crowd with a caged Yrqkun. Ami expresses her apprehension at seeing the horrifying creature, explaining that she was once dragged into a Yrqkun nest back in the First Age by an ambushing hoard. Undeterred, Uda manages to secure entry into the palace by pretending to be a rich merchant interested in purchasing the Yrkqun. Tawa heads to the local branch of the Church of the Fifth Redemption, where (much to his disappointment) he has a surprise reunion with the Tower Rangers. He sends them on a mission to discretely tail Oren and find out more about him. Buzze visits the Smither's Guild, where he admires the giant stone statue of High Grandsmith Grovis that adorns the exterior. Ami explains how, during the Great War of the First Beings, Grovis had been the most talented Smith of his time, and how he (and his wife, Rela) had given their lives to save a group of refugees fleeing from an attacking Aehan Council battalion. Tawa and Uda head into the Merchant's Guild, where Uda purchases a temporary membership (in the hopes it would help him more readily pass off as the supposed rich trader he needed to be for later). The two head into the lounge, where Tawa chats with (and, through a series of bizarre attempts at stealth, embarrasses himself in front of) the servant named Gerard, whilst Uda meets Lionel the merchant. He learns more about Zendûrun's somewhat unhinged demeanour, and begins also to plot a plan for his upcoming Royal visit. Recovening at Tiergith's Place, the group run into not only Staek Bakeob, who regains consciousness in a large pile of straw and manure, but also an ex-officer of ACPD by the name of Lewis Cannen. Lewis, Uda and Tawa head to the Oaken Bazaar, where they find a waitress at a smoketea shop who is able to give more information about Izônal - though not without having to run away without paying the exhorbitant bill. Lewis and Tawa head to the Bronzen Library, hoping to uncover more information related to Cannen's cases, which he had been working on before being fired from the force for pursuing when instructed to drop them. Meanwhile, Buzze heads to the Smither's Guild to apply for a membership, which requires first crafting an ornate dagger. Hearing about the nightly fights at the Cynthereum, he decides to join. First defeating Karifa, a seasoned fighter wielding a barbed whip and fighter's net, he exercises his right to "cite the furies" and enter a second fight in the same night - much to the excitement of the crowd. Although a tough fight, Buzze ultimate defeats a bear and earns a coveted spot in the Silver League. Staek sends his hawk out hunting for rats, only to find that it returns with a Insigniary Ring caught amongst its prey. Deciding to return the heirloom to its owner, he and Ami head to The Vale and find the townhouse with the matching insignia to the ring. Admitted into the stately home, Staek meets the elderly patron and matron of the Doraien family, who express great interest in his background as a Ihsuan nomad. Although suspicious of their true intentions, he agrees to return for dinner another day. Uda heads to the palaces in disguise as a wealthy travelling merchant, to attend the royal auction in the South Hall. There, he meets various members of Althil's wealthiest elite, including Prince Ossai, who is attending as royal delegate. During the auction, Uda spots someone hanging near the exit, discretely trying to avoid detection. Tailing him out of the auction hall, he ends up hiding in a darkened guestroom to hide from someone following him. There, he has a tense dialogue with a figure who eventually reveals himself to be Zendûrun. Uda manages to catch a glipse of the Highborn, but not without almost being shot with a contracption which launches Uda's dagger back at him - a dagger last seen in the Midnight Forest, where Uda had thrown it at a mysterious sniper in the treetops... At the Bronzen Library, Lewis and [[Tawa|Tawa Hamlutts] find an old police report about a thief who was able to make use of an artifact to carry out brazen criminal acts. The artifact allowed the user to distract others, to the extent that one could freely take their possessions without them noticing. Hoping to get his hands on a badge that would grant him unchallenged access to the police station, Lewis heads to the docks with Tawa, where they encounter a shady man called Tarkihs, who agrees to sell them a badge if they help him sabotage a rival by the name of Baric-Part. Baric, however, is merely bemused when Lewis and Tawa attempt double jeopardy in the hopes of securing a badge from the him. Although he offers to give them what they want if they help him sabotage Tarkihs instead, the two ultimately decide getting involved with the darker side of the docks is probably too much risk and hassle, and instead decide to gain access to the police station the hard way. The duo head to the Althil Police Station, where Lewis pretends to be bringing Tawa (disguised as an entitled alcoholic nobleman) in for public unrest. Tawa is taken to the holding cell, whilst Lewis sneaks off into the office. There, he manages to convince his former colleague Savris to help him take the artifact out of the cold evidence locker. Lewis heads to meet Jana and Hira. Now the seer inherent, Hira is able to give Lewis a vision of the thief accepting an illicit shipment in the docklands. Whilst being taken to the cells, Tawa catches sight of Redfane, who is being held in one of the jail cells. In the holding cell, Tawa meets a hungover merchant in the hold for alcohlic antics. He also encounters a passed-out Orc, who he discovers bears the tattoo of The Fang. When Tawa is eventually released on bail by the Tower Rangers, he dismisses them to continue tailing Oren Marelius, whilst he follows the young Orc to his home in The Loom. Deciding he needs to get his hands on the evidence from his recent cases, Lewis convinces Tawa to head into the station masquerading as an officer. Tawa manages to avoid blowing his cover and successfully extracts the evidence from the locker, whilst also running into Sasha, who is there collecting Redfane from the holding cells. Exiting out into the bustling streets, Lewis and Tawa tail the Flying Company members, although their attempts to remain discrete ultimately fails and the duo end up giving chase into Midtown. There, the two lose the thieves when they leap onto a rooftop and climb through a skylight into one of the buildings. Lewis and Tawa head back to Jana and Hira again, where Lewis asks Hira to See into a black flower that was evidence from the Black Petals case. In their joint vision, Lewis finds himself in a florist's, where a mortal combat occurs between the Orc storeowner and an unidentified assailant. Lewis witnesses the florist fire several extremely powerful and complex contraptions at the other figure, but seemingly to little effect - although he notices that the flowers - once colorful - turn black during the fight. Eventually, the florist is killed, and Lewis himself narrowly avoids injury before returning to the present. Buzze Horndim was an Orc who lived during the Fourth Age. Originally from the North East of Kebrea, he worked as a beekeeper, and usually carried a jar of bees with him. Incredibly strong, he wielded a huge weapon comprised primarily of a piece of meteorite attached to a pole. He became involved in The Interception campaign on Siofera after encountering Tawa Hamlutts and Uda Rosa Ell in Tak's Bar. Lewis Cannen was a male Human who lived during the Fourth Age, primarily in Althil, Siofera. For several years, he served as an officer (and later detective) of the Althil City Police Department, before being fired for investigating a series of cases despite being told by his boss to drop them. Siofera is a continent on the West of the standardised map of Lura. Often referred to the 'Golden City', Althil has been the largest settlement in Northern Siofera for much of history. A town located on the western shore of Lake Nimrod, Aeda has historically been a wealthy town benefiting from the prosperity of Thoronar whilst distanced from its industrial atmosphere. Typically wealthy households have owned properties in or near Aeda. Notably, the Fayr family's primary mansion, Fayr Mansion, is located on the eastern shore. Tawa Hamlutts, born Preston Myers, was a Highborn who lived during the Fourth Age. Originally from Iuanan, he carried with him a large number of pots (usually wearing one over his head) and was embroiled in a cult that worshipped pots. He became involved in The Interception campaign in Siofera after meeting Ramon Q. Silver and Uda Rosa Ell in Tak's Bar. Preston Myers was born in 4A1003 in the village of Terrace, in the Grand Duchy of Mezzeria, Iuanan. Part of a middle-class family, his youth was fairly quiet, pleasant in the relative prosperity of Mezzeria. Preston took a keen interest in art, hoping to make a career out of it, but found demand for his works was limited at best. One day, when he was 19, he was making his favourite snack, deep-fried toast, in his single-bedroom house when he accidentally started a pan fire. Not knowing any better, he attempted to splash a pot of water over the fire, which greatly worsened the situation and caused the flames to grow out of control. Soon the fire spread to neighbouring houses, destroying numerous lodgings in the village. Deducing (correctly) that he had started the fire, a vicious mob gathered to chase him down, decrying he would be executed for his negligence. Preston made his escape out of the village, where he ran into a young nobleman named Henry Towing, who had just set off to make a name for himself and restore the name of his family. Conversing with Preston, Henry explained that the Towing household had become embroiled in debts with the Church of the Fifth Redemption, and Towing had hoped to either earn enough money to pay off this debt, or garner enough fame to convince them to wipe away the balance. Unfortunately, due to his oversized helmet and shy voice, Henry failed to communicate this information clearly, and Preston instead thought his name was Tawa Hamlutts (possibly confusing him with the nearby Hamlet Tower), and that he was a high-ranking official within the Church of the Fifth Redemption. Thinking quickly, and fearing for his life, Preston decided to assault the nobleman, knocking him unconscious. He dragged the comatose Henry back onto the main road, and exchanged their clothes, leaving him to be found by the local villagepeople. Fortunately for Henry, accidental arson was not a crime punishable by death in Mezzeria, but unfortunately for him, the village lacked a sufficient court system to trial him fairly, so he remained unjustly imprisoned for a lengthy period of time. In fact, Preston's parents had noticed that the person the villagers had arrested was not their son, but decided it was not in their best interests to correct the error. Instead, they pretended for some time that this was indeed their child (despite his protests), and claimed he had become stuck in character whilst preparing to audition for a local theatre troupe. Because Preston had spent much of his time trying to peddle his artwork on the street, people had tended to minimise eye contact with him and hence were unable to identify that the man they had imprisoned was, in fact, not the man they were chasing. Meanwhile, Preston had adopted the identity of the man he believed to be Tawa Hamlutts, and decided to head to the regional headquarters of the CFR in capital, Rendeford. Fearing that the local administrators in the Church might recognise that he was, in fact, not the (supposed) high-ranking member he thought he was impersonating, Tawa snatched a clay pot off the street and placed it over his head to conceal his face. Inside the Church, he identified himself to reception as 'Tawa Hamlutts'. But, due to the poor acoustics of the pot, and the seridipidous combination of the red finish on his new headpiece and the checkered red crest of the Towing household, he was mistakenly identified as the fifth member of the Tower Rangers, a newly-formed armed gang that had been assembled to track down deserters of the faith and those who had failed to meet their downstream sales requirements. In actuality, due to budgetary constraints, the other four members of the Tower Rangers were largely inexperienced at combat, but Tawa was still adjusting to seeing through the small finger-holes of the pot, and so mistook the haphazadous entry of the other Rangers (who fell over after one of them tripped on a banana skin that had fallen out of the pot Tawa was wearing) as an impressive martial arts display. Fearing that this dangerous gang would track him down if they found out he was not really who he claimed to be, and buying into the belief that if he could simply find three recruits in his downstream he could start earning serious money from the comfort of his own home, Tawa decided to fully commit to the role in the Church. One day, after a tunnel snake crawled into the pot that he now permenantly wore on his head. Fearing serious injury, the Kymbli the Pink Tower Ranger quickly removed the pot off his head, revealing his face to the rest of the Rangers for the first time. Although they were surprised that he did not seem to match the description of the fearsome Jazon Li who was meant to be Red Tower Ranger, Tawa managed to pass it off as a trick of the dim morning light. Nevertheless, Tawa grew concerned that the gang may eventually discover his secret, and plotted to distance himself from the group. He fabricated an archrival villain known as Oli Tom, a failed Green Tower Ranger from before the group was fully assembled, and tells the others he had to leave them for some time to focus on stopping his rival. Hoping to lose the Rangers, Tawa made his way to Siofera - although he kept his disguise on as it proved useful when dealing with local members of the Church. There, at a bar in Nalda, he met Uda Rosa Ell and Ramon Q. Silver and accepted a well-paying job to intercept a package. Uda Rosa Ell was a Highborn who lived during the Fourth Age. Originally from Siofera, he was raised by Erwaen, and was exceptionally beautiful. He became involved in The Interception campaign after meeting Ramon Q. Silver and Tawa Hamlutts in Tak's Bar. Plagued by bloodlust, he brutally murdered a Stoneman on Lake Tîr not long after meeting Ramon and Tawa. An alcoholic, he was prone to flit between nervous breakdowns and stubborn determination. At one point, he was recruited into the ranks of the Church of the Eternal Flame, although he was a skeptical follower at best.Story
Characters:
Uda Rosa Ell
Tawa Hamlutts
Buzze Horndim
Ramon Q. Silver
Lewis Cannen
With: Jesús Polo Sánchez
And: Staek Bakeob
Special Guests:
Ami, daughter of Gale
Anna Kerson
Matai Pezovich
Didier Dubot
Roth Sander
Qari SilverPrologue: Nalda
THE STONE MEN
THE VIGILANTE, PT I
THE VIGILANTE, PT II
THE VIGILANTE, PT. III
REVOLUTION IN NALDA
Act I: To Midnight
SNAKES IN THE WELL
BEWARE THE BIRDS
THEY DIVE TONIGHT
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT AT GROVE COMPOUND, PTS. I-III
THE GILDED SERPENT
THE INTERCEPTION
Act II: Wanted
THE GOLDEN CITY
OLD BLOOD, NEW BLOOD
COUNTER-OPERATIVES
Siofera during the Fourth AgeRegions
Northern Siofera
Southern Siofera
Cities
Althil
Sûnur
Hîma
Estarin
Bazan
Thoronar
Aeda
Nalda
Other locations
Midnight Forest
Halliw
Life
Early years